Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

So good to hear from you, and also that we had similar holiday situations. I am up a handful of pounds as well, but refocused now that all the holiday business has passed. Did you see that there will be a new monthly maintenance thread, inspired by this one? I am very much looking forward to it.

What is bubbles and squeak? For New Years Day I’ll be making Hopin John, which is a southern US dish made from black eyed peas, and cabbage on the side. They are suppose to bring you good lunch and money in the new year.

Hi Sue! I'm sorry to hear about your weight gain but on the bright side it means you let yourself enjoy your vacation time which is important to give you strength when going back to the busy day to day life!

About your holiday season- wonderful to hear your family is supportive, especially at the holidays! Is your husband also in this WOE?

Suey51 wrote:
How did other people fare over the festive season?

I personally had a case of viral gastroenteritis (which has been going around in town) starting on Friday which lasted until Tuesday (two days ago)... And hence had to spend Christmas alone so as not to be contagious to the little babies and children in the family (and frankly, adults too). Basically not fun. But it is what it is. Just another Christmas. So yeah, no temptations here but nothing else stayed in either. Still recovering as these episodes take a toll on your energy levels.

On a positive note, the rain is gone where I live and the days have been sunny! It really brightens everyone's moods!

Thanks Lindsey! There are so many temptations at this time of year aren't there! Refocussing on this WOE after the holiday period will soon get things back on track for you

Yes, I'm looking forward to the weight maintenance thread too!

Bubble and squeak is made from leftover mashed potatoes, plus whatever leftover green veggies you have on hand. You chop an onion and fry it. Then chop the green veggies and mix with the mashed potatoes and cooked onion. You can either shape the mixture into small patties or just pop the whole lot into a non-stick frying pan and squash it down. It'll get nice crispy brown bits as it cooks so you keep an eye on it and turn it over as it starts to brown. Its lovely for breakfast with baked beans and mushrooms or for lunch/supper with a mushroom gravy and some other veggies! I have no idea why its called bubble and squeak though

Hopin John sounds good! Love the story about it bringing good luck if eaten on New Year's Day I'm off to buy some black eyed beans shortly! Happy New Year to you and your family xx

Thanks Verde! Yes, I did enjoy the time with family and am grateful that we were able to spend some time together.

My husband has changed what he eats over the past couple of years, moving closer to this WOE and has lost over 25 pounds in weight. He has days/weeks when he joins me on this WOE, and is happy to cook and eat this way with me some of the time. At other times, for example, in restaurants and at family meals, he doesn't follow it. He's generally very supportive although he bought me some of my old favourite hyper-palatable items this week. I haven't had them for a very long time but still find them so hard to resist when they're in the house.....

I'm so sorry to hear you've been unwell and hope you're fully recovered soon. Sounds like you have a good attitude about it though Lovely to hear that you've had some sunny weather Happy New Year and take care of yourself xx

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year xx

This morning my weight is 1.2 pounds down on last week, so that's 2.6 above my goal weight. During the day I've been staying close to the regular McDougall program but in the evenings have been drawn to a couple of hyper-palatable items still in the house from Xmas. I succumbed in the first half of the week but made better decisions as it got closer to weigh-in day!

The simple checklist has been working well (daily starches, veggies, fruit, exercise). It has kept me focussed on the process, rather than the outcome, and helped me be satisfied with a very good level of adherence rather than striving for perfection.

The longer I eat this way, the more I realise its about overall health rather than just weight. I'm not happy to be a couple of pounds over my goal weight, but its still way better than when it has been. At my heaviest weight (Jan 2015) I was 29 pounds heavier than I am now. I know I must remain vigilant about the weight so it doesn't continue to creep up, but the most important aspect is how I feel (wonderfully well) and my overall health (currently excellent).

We are travelling again over the next few weeks, so my goal for the month will be to stay as close to the regular McDougall Program as I can. I'll keep using the checklist as I don't need scales or my own kitchen for that! Once we're back to our home routine, I'll resume work on getting down to my goal weight

Hi Sue! Sounds like we are ina similar boat post-holiday. Did you see the new McDougall maintenance group? viewtopic.php?f=13&t=59075 You’d be a great person to join.

Thanks Lindsey! Yes, I’ll be joining the new maintenance group

Today marks 1 year of riding the weight maintenance wave so its time for a little reflection:

Weight today is 127.2 (2.2 pounds above my goal weight).
BMI is 21.6.
Blood pressure is 112/81. (It was 133/74 about 5 months before I started the Maximum Weight Loss Program).
(I don't have any other numbers type measures sadly!)
But, health is excellent; full of energy, great mobility and I'm enjoying the McDougall life

For the first 9 months, my weight kept within a 2 pound range either side of the goal weight. However, over the past 3 months it's been between 3 and 5 pounds above. I think this is evidence of a lack of adherence when we've been abroad (eating in restaurants way more than we do at home) and that some richer items have snuck into my diet when we're at home. Since cutting those out for the past fortnight, the scales are moving in the right direction!

For the next year I'm going to focus on:
Continuing to track my weight, although my motivation is now to continuing to enjoy the many benefits of a healthy life. Weight is easy to measure but now it's more about tracking how adherent I've been. I've joined the McDougall Weight Maintenance thread for accountability and support so will post there more often than here. The March 2019 thread is here.
Closer adherence to the program, particularly when eating in restaurants.
More exercise.

Here's to year 2 of riding that wave!

You are a great example of someone rocking the program! Maintenance definitely has a different set of obstacles than weight loss, but you have managed to stay within a reasonable amount of weight through all of the holidays and while vacationing. On to year two!

Thanks Lindsey for all your support here and on the Weight Maintenance threads! The accountability is really helping

Weight today is 125.6, just under a pound above my goal weight - yayyy! Winter has generally been the time when I gained weight so I'm happy to be close to goal weight.

The past few weeks, I've been sticking much closer to the regular program, but there are a couple more tweaks I could make to reduce overall calorie density. I've also upped the amount of activity and even when back to a circuits class for the first time in a couple of years. I'd stopped going due to knee pain before I lost the weight.

I was lucky enough to attend the McDougall 3 Day Intensive Weekend this month and have shared a few thoughts on the March 2019 Maintenance Thread. It was wonderful to meet the McDougall team and other McDougallers in person

Best wishes, Sue

Congratulations, Sue. You have been successful at extensive traveling and keeping your weight within your goal range by getting right back on track after your travels. Great focus! You are my hero!

Thanks moonlight!

Enjoying reading about the MM in your journal - sounds like you're doing great

Hi everyone!

A quick update to say I'm loving McDougall maintenance!

Since my last check-in here in late March, my weight is 2 pounds lower, or 1 pound below goal weight. It tracked a bit higher during our Spring travels but has settled back down over the Summer/early Autumn. Overall my health is good and I feel well in body and mind.

My husband upped his McDougall adherence 5 weeks ago and that has really helped me stay very close to this way of eating. Since late March, his weight is down by 6.6 pounds. We've been lucky to have lots of homegrown veggies again this season. We've eaten a lot of potatoes, rice, roasted veg, veg and bean soups/stews and leafy green veggies.

Over the Summer, I attended my first McDougall pot luck lunch (my first pot luck of any kind in fact!),organised by KatherineUK. It was wonderful to meet her and FrancesUK and to share a meal together We recently met up again at a plan-based health conference in London,VegMed UK where we met a couple of other UK McDougallers. I also check in with the monthly McDougall Maintenance threads here; this is the October one. The online and in-person community has really help me to enjoy the process (as well as the results) and to continue to stay on top of the wave!


Best wishes, Sue x

Well done, Sue! Glad to hear things are going well for you!

Cheers,

Thanks sirdle!